Trump to ban arrivals from 7 Muslim countries

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump made good Wednesday on a centerpiece of his campaign for the White House, signing an executive order directing the creation of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

A second executive action was signed to tighten enforcement of U.S. immigration law, including the loss of federal funding for so-called sanctuary cities that harbor illegal immigrants.

But perhaps the most-controversial action will come in a few days. Trump is expected to announce a month-long halt to admitting any person to the U.S. from seven countries with Muslim majorities: Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Sudan and Somalia, according to draft documents obtained by media organizations. Refugee admissions would be stopped for 120 days while the administration reviews screening procedures.

Even when the program resumes, the media reports said, the refugee program would be more than halved, with 50,000 a year allowed entry, compared with the current 110,000.

The documents are subject to change until Trump signs them.

The changes could be strongly felt in Columbus, home to the second-largest Somali community in the United States. According to the Somali Community Association of Ohio, between 15,000 and 40,000 Somali immigrants and refugees live in Ohio's largest city.

"Beginning today, the United States of America gets back control of its borders," Trump told employees of the Department of Homeland Security at its Washington headquarters during an appearance Wednesday in which he honored the parents of those killed by illegal immigrants.

How the orders will translate into reality remains to be seen. For example, while one calls for the wall, it does not cover its cost. Trump has promised that Mexico ultimately will pay for the wall.

Trump wants the Department of Homeland Security to publish a list each week of the crimes committed by undocumented immigrants, but it was unclear for what purpose.

And the definition of "sanctuary city" remains murky. Columbus is not formally one, but "some of the tenets of what a sanctuary city does the city of Columbus already does. We are an inclusive city," said Lee Cole, spokeswoman for Columbus City Council.

That includes Department of Public Safety rules on how to handle situations in which undocumented people are stopped by police. The department couldn't immediately provide a copy of the rules Wednesday, but those published on its website say: "Division personnel shall not arrest or detain persons for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unless a warrant exists or a criminal violation was observed." This rule was revised on June 30, 2015, it says, and it was unclear how it changed.

The rules also require: "Sworn personnel arresting a suspected illegal immigrant shall fax the arrest information form to the Detention and Removal Office (DRO) within the ICE office," and if a "suspected illegal immigrant may be released" after business hours, they should notify the DRO agent on-duty.

Joe Mas, an immigration lawyer in Columbus, said he spoke Wednesday with a young woman who was brought to the United States as a child and was protected under the federal deferred action program that allowed her to work and go to school.

"What are you going to do?" Mas said he asked her. "The answer essentially was 'I tell you what, if my status changes, instead of being legal, they have to drag me out of here kicking and screaming. I'm not going anywhere. This is my country.'

"You know, it's very moving. A lot of these people have nowhere else to go."

During a news conference in Washington, Nihad Award, national executive director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said: "Make no mistake — whatever language is used in President Trump's executive orders on refugees, immigration and visa programs — Muslims are the sole targets of these orders. ... Never before in our country's history have we purposely — as a matter of policy — imposed a ban on immigrants or refugees on the basis of religion, or imposed a religious litmus test on those coming to this nation."

But among the supporters of the actions was Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, who called the moves “the first step toward securing our country from illegal immigration.”

Ohio Gov. John Kasich, visiting Washington for a panel discussion Wednesday at the Embassy of the Netherlands, said he had not yet seen the executive actions.

“I think it makes good sense for us to review our immigration policy here in the United States,” the Republican said. “We have a big chunk of people who come in here, they are supposed to leave; they don’t. It’s important that we know who the people are that are coming in that they’re properly vetted. I just think that makes perfect sense.”

As for the wall between the U.S. and Mexico, adding to the perceived insult to Mexico was the timing of Wednesday's order: It came on the first day of talks between top Mexican officials and their counterparts in Washington, and just days before a meeting between the two countries’ presidents. However, President Enrique Pena Nieto of Mexico is considering scrapping his plans to visit the White House on Tuesday, according to Mexican officials.

Mexicans across the political spectrum have been calling for Pena Nieto to cancel the meeting since Trump signaled his intention to build the wall late Tuesday.

‘‘It’s like we are Charlie Brown and they are Lucy with the football,’’ said Jorge Castaneda, a former foreign minister of Mexico.

Information from The Associated Press and The New York Times was included in this story.